Candidate Accused Of Using City Gangs

Concern Expressed For Primary Voters

September 09, 1992|By ANDREW JULIEN; Courant Staff Writer

The hotly contested Democratic primary race for a state House seat in Hartford's 4th District got even hotter Tuesday with a powerful backer of Luis Davila accusing Edwin Garcia of using street gangs in the past to intimidate voters.

Democratic town Chairman Edwin Vargas said Garcia enlisted street gang members in March to scare away supporters of Garcia's opponents during a race for seats on the town committee.

Garcia countered that Vargas' accusations were untrue and a sign of his desperation in the campaign. Garcia and Davila are vying for the Democratic nomination, which is a virtual guarantee of election as the 4th Assembly District is a Democratic stronghold.

Vargas, who said he fears Garcia might use gang members again, has asked federal authorites to send U.S. marshals to protect polling places next Tuesday, but the request has been denied.

"We've determined there's an insufficient basis to warrant direct intervention," said U.S. Attorney Albert S. Dabrowski. "You don't just intervene with U.S. marshals because you have reason to believe there might be a problem."

Regarding evidence of his accusations, Vargas said a complaint was not filed in March because no one was willing to make a sworn statement.

Vargas said he would speak with Hartford Police Chief Ronald J. Loranger about protecting the polls.

Garcia, a sergeant in the Hartford Police Department, denied all of Vargas' accusations.

"This is a tactic used by Mr. Vargas to attack the hard-working people of the city of Hartford," Garcia said. "Mr. Vargas is in such a state of desperation that he has to label every decent man and woman of this district as hoodlums."

Vargas said that last March, supporters of a slate of candidates backed by Garcia for seats on the Democratic town committee harassed and intimidated people arriving at the polls carrying campaign literature for the Democrats for Leadership slate. That ticket was backed by Vargas and state Rep. Edna Negron.

Garcia's slate won -- a turn that threatened Vargas' bid to become town chairman. Vargas nonetheless won the post.

Vargas said Garcia's campaign workers were identified as street gang members by a reporter for the Hartford Advocate, a local weekly. The chairman also said that Garcia knows members of two powerful street gangs -- Los Solidos and the Latin Kings -- and might use them to intimidate supporters of Davila.

"He's been working with the two main gangs and he's been able to bring them together," Vargas said. "That puts him in a position to have influence over some of these kids, who are pretty tough kids."

"Whenever people of the barrio unite together in the democratic process, we're always attacked," Garcia said.

As for Vargas' claims that Garcia knows gang members, Garcia said: "I grew up in this barrio, I know everyone."